The Income Tax raids reportedly have entered the sixth day at the premises of Baldev Sahu Infra Pvt Ltd company at Sudpada in Balangir, Odisha. The company is allegedly linked to Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dheeraj Sahu.
The completion of currency counting of 176 bags was completed once the Income Tax raided properties connected to Sahu. The seized cash will be deposited in Balangir SBI main branch post the official procedure on December 11. SBI’s main branch will function smoothly for the public regularly, SBI Regional Manager said.
SBI Regional Manager, Bhagat Behera on December 10 said, “We received 176 bags and 140 of them have been counted, the rest will be counted today. Officials from 3 banks are involved in the counting process, and 50 of our officials are involved. About 40 (currency counting) machines were brought here, 25 are in use and 15 are kept as backup,”
Meanwhile, the currency note banding machine was brought to Balangir SBI’s main branch to complete the currency counting process.
The Income Tax sleuths conducted raids at the premises of Boudh Distilleries Private Limited on December 10, as the crackdown by the central agency entered its fifth day. Sources, so far, state that a recovery of more than Rs 300 crore cash has been made from several locations in Odisha and Jharkhand during their raids against Boudh Distilleries Private Limited (BDPL) and entities linked to it.
The residences of Sahu were also searched. The recovery has given fresh ammunition to the BJP to come out all guns blazing at the Congress on the issue of graft.
Earlier, on December 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress, tagging a news report about the I-T department’s recovery of Rs 200 crores in cash from various locations of a business group allegedly linked to Sahu.
“Countrymen should look at these piles of currency notes and then hear the addresses of its (Congress) leaders on honesty. Every penny looted from people will have to be returned. This is Modi’s guarantee,” PM Modi posted from his official handle.
Union Minister Amit Shah also criticised the Congress and members of the INDIA bloc for remaining silent on the raids
“I am very surprised. After independence, such a large amount of cash has been seized from an MP’s house. Crores of rupees have been recovered but the whole INDIA alliance is silent on this corruption. I understand Congress is silent as corruption is in their nature but JDU, RJD, DMK, and SP all are sitting silently…Now I understand why a campaign was run against PM Modi that agencies are being misused. It was run because there was a fear in their mind that all the secrets of their corruption would be revealed…” Amit Shah had said to ANI.
The Congress has chosen to distance itself from the Cash recovered at its MPs home claiming that only Dheeraj Sahu can explain how huge amounts of cash were found at his business.
“The Indian National Congress is in no way connected with the businesses of Dheeraj Sahu, MP. Only he can explain, and should explain, how huge amounts of cash have been reportedly unearthed by the income-tax authorities from his properties” Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said.
As the news of such a corruption scandal surfaced, Bharatiya Janata Party staged a protest in the Parliament premises led by the party’s National President, JP Nadda, targeting the Congress over alleged corruption with leaders having banners in their hand that read “C for Congress and C for Corruption.”
BJP MPs led by party president JP Nadda marched towards the Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the Parliament premises. Several MPs were chanting “Rahul Gandhi must answer, wherever there is Congress, there is corruption, from corruption to Congress.”
Speaking during the protests JP Nadda said “The Congress is a party steeped in corruption. The ED and the CBI have time and again proved this, but the Congress has questioned the central agencies. Today we want an answer from Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, what is their answer to this huge stash of cash that has been found. PM Modi has said that we won’t spare the corrupt and we want the Congress party to answer the poor as to whose cash is this. The BJP will not spare the corrupt, all of them will be sent to jail.”
Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Javdekar said ” Rs 354 crore has been recovered at the house of Dheeraj Sahu, how has so much cash been found? Congress claims that he is a businessman and he has to explain, but which businessman keeps so much cash? This cash is the ATM of the Congress which is why the Congress has not even suspended the MP. Dheeraj Sahu is in the business of liquor and he has looted from the poor and become the ATM of the Congress. The nation is angry with this and will teach a lesson to the Congress.”
ANI
